Tonight at 10/9c, ABC’s Castle takes a trip in time when a modern-day case reveals its roots in the 1940s. In doing so, Castle and Beckett (played by Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic) transform into a gumshoe named Joe and gangster’s moll Vera, while friends and family members also tag along for the retro ride. TVLine spoke with show boss Andrew W. Marlowe about the origin of this “noir” idea and how dipping into the past might affect the character’s futures.

TVLINE | I’m curious how long you had this episode on the books. Because this season’s 1940s-themed cast photo must have been shot at the end of last summer….
Well, we had wanted to do something different for a while, and I think every show that’s been around for a few seasons wants to do something where they go back in time or have some sort of fun or gives the audience a chance to see their characters as not quite themselves. And part of it was inspiration drawn from thatcast photo. Looking at it, we thought, “Nathan looks so good in that outfit, and Stana looks so great…. Wouldn’t it be something to be able to play with that as a trope?” The challenge for us was finding a way to do it that fit into the storytelling so that it was really organic and not forced, and one of our writers, Terrence Winter, did a really great job with that.

TVLINE | So how do we gain entry into this world?
There’s a current-day murder, but it has a component that is influenced by something that happened back in the 1940s. Castle gets access to this private investigator’s journal, and as he starts reading it he starts imagining himself as the P.I. and Beckett as the gangster’s moll. And our other characters make appearances in the past as well.

TVLINE | Who would say is the biggest deviation from his or her regular character?
Seamus [Dever, Ryan] has a terrific Irish accent in the 1940s, playing a tough who works for the gangster.

TVLINE | I recently interviewed Mark Pellegrino, who plays the gangster, and he said Nathan was truly in his element.
He was having a good time, yeah. I think he’s going to come across very well in the episode.

TVLINE | And all reports say that Stana is “dressed to kill.”And she has multiple wardrobe changes. Each time the audience sees her [in the ’40s], she is dressed to kill.

TVLINE | What sort of reactions do you get when you present such a concept to wardrobe, to set design? Do they admittedly get a bit giddy?
Absolutely. Any time people have a great challenge that allows them to exercise their craft at the highest levels, they’re going to get very excited. It’s always a challenge to do it on a TV budget and on a TV time schedule, but when viewers see the finished piece, they’ll see what a good job all of our departments did.

TVLINE | Sometimes viewers worry that “out of time” episodes such as this won’t have any real impact on the bigger picture of the series, of the season. Will what happens in the ’40s influence our Castle and Beckett?
As much as any other episode. It’s not a deep mythology episode for us, but there are great moments for the two of them to play in this. Some of the stuff in the 1940s reflects where the two of them are in their dance. It’s just that he’s Joe, and she’s Vera.

TVLINE | And there’s a kiss that might excite fans…?
There is a kiss that might excite fans, absolutely. Let’s let them tune in to see if it’s between Joe and Vera, or Castle and Beckett.

I know people are entitled to their opinion but please stay focused on the episode and the show and not on Nathan’s weight. It doesn’t affect his performance and if the weight bothers you guys who comment on it so much look at him from the neck up or don’t look at him at all. Now…
This episode looks so interesting and exciting! I am curious to see how the alter egos are different in the 40’s than they are today. So far everyone looks great! Can’t wait for tonight!

I’m so excited for tonight’s episode, just saw the 10 minutes preview and Monday night can’t come soon enough.
But Andrew Marlowe shouldn’t tease the audience with a kiss between Castle and Beckett unless he’s willing to pay and there are actually two kisses.

What are you talking about? I thought he looked good in sneak peeks, I was surprised actually. I’m not a fan of Stana’s look though, they made her look somewhat generic and older. Jon I liked, Seamus not so much, sleeked hair is not his thing. Susan’s blond hair lookes weird but we’ll see. Molly and Tamala looked the best to me.

Don´t get me wrong I love nathan (I started to watch castle because of him) but to be honest his weight since the middle of season 3 is distracting (at least for me and for other castle fans). He is suppose to be the leading man on a tv show (one with a romantic side)and he is starting to look more like stana´s father than his romantic interest.I know that a lot of people disagree with me but it´s just what i think.

LOL … I have definitely noticed it too. I don’t find it to be TOO overly distracting, but I certainly notice it. It seems like Nathan himself would see it and want to get back in shape, but I guess who am I to talk, when I’ve been falling off the wagon on my diet plan for too many months now. ;-)

I thought he is fitter now than he was last year. Just compare and you’ll see it. But you know what, he is Nathan Fillion! The man is an awesome guy! Just back off a bit to all those who want only perfect people on their screens. He is a brilliant actor and it showed in this episode particularly well.

Seamus , Tamala and stana looked amazing in the sneak peek.Nathan is not aging very well but well nobody is perfect.
BTW Mr Marlowe you need to move this caskett ship and not with fake kisses on a noir episode but a real one . I´ve been a fan since day one but i´m becoming impatient with this season and the show in general.Caskett is moving at a snail pace

I agree with you and I no longer watch the show. After the cuffed episode I was totally fed up with the pretend romance. Anyone that survived being eaten by a tiger would hug the person they were with. Even if that person was only a friend. Since she loves him she definitely would have. When I saw we were supposed to get all excited by him rubbing her hand, I quit watching the show. Marlowe needs to quit treating the audience like we want to see 12 year olds flirting. It has gotten ridiculous.

I never really saw the romantic chemistry between Castle and Beckett. I think they are more just friends anyways. First, they kiss, then Castle says “I love you,” and now they seem to have forgot all about that and Castle just rubs her hand. Yeah, they are just friends.

But Nathan is a leadin man on a tv show. The truth is people do fantasize about him, and to see how he has changed physically just ruins it for some. In todays world, sex sells and seeing how much he has gained weight is…unfortunate for the lack of a better word. It’s harsh but it’s out there. It’s an unwritten rule for actors(especially for female) in Hollywood. Same concept goes for Stana: if she was a little heavier would she be chosen to be on this show as a leadin lady?

Sadly, everything said here is true.
Nathan as put on some weigh but he’s also 40 so it isn’t that surprising. He always was a big guy and there’s no reason that changes. And it isn’t that bad.I don’t think it’s distracting.
Sadly, Holly is right too. There is this unwritten rule and I could bet my year income that if it he was cast now for Castle, ABC would ask him not so subtly to lost some weight. And Stana wouldn’t even be considered if she was a little heavier. (Reminder : Before Castle she wasn’t really known).
And lately, I think she’s a little too skinny too…barely unheathly. But it’s how it is now in Hollywood.
We talk about the 40’s episode and at that time, the men weren’t too muscular and women had some beautiful curves…It’s all a matter of fashion. In 10 years or 20 or 30 maybe it will be considered ugly to be thin.

I so agree. Nathan is a man, not a skinny little boy. Most people gain some weight as they age unless they are of a specific body type, one that is not the typical type for most. He was adorable as Mal Reynolds; he is still adorable to anyone who finds attraction in something more than just the most superficial of criteria. I sure wouldn’t turn him away.
There are a number of leading men who are not what could be called slim, but are enormously attractive to many of us. I point, for example, to Russell Crowe, Adam Baldwin, Bruce Campbell, etc., etc., and so forth.

This episode looks like a fun one, although I’m not always into the these types of theme or gimmick episodes of any t.v. show because it doesn’t tend to move the story forward at all. And for this season of Castle, I am frankly starting to get a little bit itchy because we’re already on episode what … 14 now? And how many are there this season … 23 or something? The overall story arc this season of Castle/Beckett and their relationship and respective secrets they are keeping from each other is just moving so sllooooww and we don’t have that many episodes left to resolve it!! Let’s get the show on the road here people, I can’t take much more of this waiting and torture. If we don’t get some major traction on it soon I’m going to start throwing stuff at my t.v.

“Torture”
Again, calm down, it’s just a TV Show. And don’t throw stuff at your tv. Can be dangerous…for your TV.
And I personally think it’s moving. Until then, it was how Castle grew up. And Castle is everything but subtle, so it was easy to catch that, to see that little improvement in each episode.
This season is about how Beckett grew up or changes to be a better person, one who can love and be loved. And Beckett may be “absolutely perfect”, as some fan could say, but she improves slowly too. And it’s much much more subtle. Oh and You can see she’s coming there.

ITA. After all of the hype, I expected a much better episode. I have a feeling the cast and crew enjoyed it more than the viewers. It was both too cliche’ and yet not enough. The dialog was stilted and put-on. It was nice to see Chad Everett though.

To me, Nathan has never looked better! He’s not fat, he’s a big guy, if they’d put him in a t-shirt you could see that he looks just fine. And he looked awesome in that episode. Wardrobe and hair people have done really bad things with Stana this season, though, all those awful turtlenecks and her new haircolor make her look years older than she is, that women is only 33.
I am packing my stuff and will leave the Caskett-Ship soon. 14 episodes after the I love you and all we get is puppy love looks from Kate and a hand rub. I still love the show because it has great characters and it’s fun but I’m losing my interest in their relationship. When people aren’t together, I want to see flirting and some sexual tension. Lovey-dovey eyes are for when they are together. This couple is getting boring, sorry. Those “secrets” were the most stupid plot idea to keep them apart ever.

I so agree. I always feel like they are creating another barrier for them not to get together. They are already in love with each other, but they just can’t be together because of Beckett’s psychological problems and her mom dying. That’s just not entertaining to me. I think they should just stop the barrier crap and just have them continue to grow and fall in love with each other. Like with Bones, up until the 100th, Booth and Brennan just kept growing and falling in love. There was no barrier up until the end of season 5 when Hart Hanson chickened out of putting them together. Also, Castle and Beckett’s chemistry doesn’t impress me very much. I’m sorry if I offended anyone.

The spark is gone,remember when C/B used to yearn for one another, when there was sexual tension,when the double entendres were all over the dialog and when C/B actually seemed to lust for one another. Now they’er like a pair of old worn out comfortable shoes. The sexy R&B song they used to dance to is now a kinder garden jingle that was never intended for anyone of four years of age.

The place where Nathan’s extra weight shows up is in his face, which recently appears puffy and tired. This isn’t a good look for anyone. It can be caused by many things, including a thyroid imbalance, change in metabolism requiring a diet overhaul, or stress and fatigue. Yes, hitting the forties can make it harder to deal with those challenges; and it can take a while to make changes in the way you eat and exercise. I hope Nathan meets the challenge. I don,t think he looks healthy right now. But I also think that sexiness is mostly between the ears. He’s a charismatic, witty, charming man with impeccable comic timing, and apparently a sweet disposition offstage. He will always be sexy.